Serpentine setup

[Mathius]

Might not get to this one until the summer. The Chevelle is being stored away from my house until then.

But I'm open to ideas or suggestions until then. I'm not sure what the best way to do it will be. IIRC serpentine water pumps spin the other way? So a water pump swap would be necessary... might go ahead and get an aluminum radiator while I'm at it, and build a new radiator support. Get the whole job done at once.

I would think it would make sense to just take measurements off my silverado while the components are in the vehicle, that way I can use the same belt, OR should I just try to make up a jig, and copy the factory parts as closely as possible instead of making up the components to my own design using the measurements off my current setup?

I also have an a/c compressor on the silverado, no a/c on the chevelle. Can I put a compressor in, and not wire it or will that destroy the bearings?

Mathius

[toxicz28]

I also have an a/c compressor on the silverado, no a/c on the chevelle. Can I put a compressor in, and not wire it or will that destroy the bearings?

Mathius

1LE Camaros didn't have a/c. They used an idler pulley that mounted in the location of the compressor. GMPP has 2 versions of the kit. The non a/c version has that idler which is available seperately.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

[Mathius]

I've always found it ridiculous that an aftermarket system can run over $1000 dollars for something that you could get from a junkyard that does the same for a tenth of the cost. I've used the 90-up Camaro and Caprice setups and polished,chromed, or powdercoated they look awesome. Plus parts are off the shelf and easily available. For me the biggest thing is the tensioner. Sucks having to adjust the brackets or bars on the aftermarket stuff every so often. Take into account the time needed to fabricate your own and maybe $150 aint so bad. I've spent tons of hours and materials sometimes trying to roll my own and it doesn't always come out as good as the original. That being said, ain't nothing like being able to say "I made this". <g> My .02

Depends on what kind of a design is necessary. I have some 3/16" plate material in storage that will probably work fine if I gusset it properly. If that works, I'm only out $30 for the tensioner + whatever it costs me to deal with the a/c issue. Might be able to find a junk compressor on Ebay for cheap and just use that until I get a real a/c unit.

1LE Camaros didn't have a/c. They used an idler pulley that mounted in the location of the compressor. GMPP has 2 versions of the kit. The non a/c version has that idler which is available seperately.
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

$80 is pretty pricey for a temporary solution. Sortof defeates the purpose of building my own system, when I can get a full setup used for $150. Maybe I can find a used one, or see if the non/ac version of the silverado just used a shorter belt.

Mathius